(Host) Martha Rainville doesn’t see eye-to-eye with every member of the Bush family.
She opposes some of President Bush’s environmental policies.
That’s one area that she differs with her opponent in the Republican primary for the US House seat – Bennington County Senator Mark Shepard.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports:
(Kinzel) While Rainville backs many of President Bush’s fiscal, social and national security policies, she doesn’t think the president has set the right course of action for a number of key environmental concerns.
(Rainville) “The Administration’s environmental policies is one of the areas where I strongly disagree with them certainly the relaxation of clean air standards. I don’t agree with that we need to use the technology to really push hard to lower greenhouse gas emissions.”
(Kinzel) Rainville says she also doesn’t agree with the president on the need to open up the Arctic national wilderness for oil drilling:
(Rainville) “I think there are other things we can do before going into the reserve. There’s some controversy about the exact impact to the environment but we need to find other ways to increase domestic production.”
(Kinzel) Mark Shepard says he would give Bush higher marks for his environmental policies and he’s open to drilling in ANWAR.
(Shepard) “It is an option that’s there forever. It’s something that I haven’t opposed looking into. We can’t have our cake and eat it too. We have to if we want to be off oil from foreign countries that are difficult to deal with, we’re going to have to do something here, which is a combination of our own oil and going to other sources.”
(Kinzel) Shepard also supports Bush’s decision not to sign the Kyoto Treaty – an international agreement to significantly reduce greenhouse gases:
(Shepard) “I do not support the Kyoto Treaty. Part of the reason for that is I think that would move more American jobs overseas. China and India do not have to come under that. That’s what we’re competing with and as we look at where we are, we need to have the scientific data to make sure we’re moving where it’s solid.”
(Kinzel) The winner of next week’s GOP U.S. House primary will face Democrat Peter Welch in the November election.
For Vermont Public Radio I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.